Positive Solutions for Families: Family Routine Guide
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Family Routine Guide Positive Solutions for Families: Family Routine Guide Contents How to Use the Family Routine Guide for Young Going Places 33 Children with Challenging Behavior 3 Shopping 38 Family Planning Sheet 4 Restaurants 42 Getting Dressed or Undressed 5 Attending Community Or Family Events Brushing Teeth or Hair 8 (e.g., Laundromat, Sporting Events, Church, Temple, Synagogue) 44 Meal or Snacks 12 Going to School or Childcare 48 Taking a Bath 14 Transitions: Going from One Place or Activity Bathroom (Toileting, Wash Hands) 17 to Another 50 Play 19 When Parents Can’t Play (Chores, working from home, on phone) 54 Outside Play 23 Medicine or Treatments 57 Clean-Up 26 Going to the Doctor 59 Bedtime, Sleeping, Nap 29 National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations | ChallengingBehavior.org The reproduction of this document is encouraged. Permission to copy is not required. If modified or used in another format, please cite original source. This is a product of the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations and was made possible by Cooperative Agreement #H326B170003 which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Pub: 06/29/2021 2 ChallengingBehavior.org | National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations Positive Solutions for Families: Family Routine Guide How to Use the Family Routine Guide for Young Children with Challenging Behavior ThisFamily Routine Guide can assist parents and caregivers in developing a plan to support young children who are using challenging behavior. Children engage in challenging behavior for a variety of reasons, but all children use challenging behavior to communicate messages. Challenging behavior, typically, communicates a need to escape or avoid a person or activity or communicates a desire to obtain someone or something. Once caregivers understand the purpose or meaning of the behavior, they can begin to select strategies to change the behavior. They can do this by selecting prevention strategies, teaching new skills, and changing the way they respond to eliminate or minimize the challenging behavior. The Family Routine Guide includes strategies for the common routines and activities that occur during the family’s week. How the Guide is Organized 1 2 3 4 Find the “Why” Prevent the Respond Teach New Skills (Your child...) Behavior ► How do I respond ► What new skills can ► What can I do when challenging I teach to replace the ► Why might my child to prevent the behavior occurs? challenging behavior? be doing this? challenging behavior? ► This section provides ► This section suggests ► This section provides ► This section provides the caregiver with new skills to teach to ideas that will assist prevention strategies ideas on how they can replace the challenging caregivers in thinking that will help the respond in a way that behavior. Many of the about what the child child participate in the does not maintain strategies mentioned may be communicating the problem behavior in the guide are quick through challenging routine without having (or keep the behavior and easy to implement. behavior. The strategies challenging behavior. happening). that are recommended require determining the “why” of behavior as it occurs in the routine. It is important to use all of the sections in the guide [i.e., 1) function or why, 2) prevention strategies, 3) ways to respond to behavior, and 4) new skills] to develop a support plan that will be effective for your child. The guide provides ideas about commonly occurring situations and children’s behavior. Please note that this list might not address all situations or reasons the child is using challenging behavior. If the child’s purpose of challenging behavior is not represented on the chart, the parent is encouraged to write down the purpose and then think of prevention strategies, new skills to teach, and ways to respond to behavior. Instructions for Use A Family Planning Sheet is provided at the beginning of this Family Routine Guide for writing down the strategies that will be selected for the child. To develop the plan, first determine the routine(s) in which the child is having difficulty. Then look for the reason for why the child might be having trouble in the routine(s). Once you know why the child is using the challenging behavior, you can begin to look at the suggested strategies and determine what will work for your family and child. After you select the strategies that you will use, it is important to write down your plan using the Family Planning Sheet. If you write the plan down, you are more likely to implement the strategies. National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations | ChallengingBehavior.org 3 Positive Solutions for Families: Family Routine Guide Family Planning Sheet What does during : (child’s name) (routine) Why I think my child does it: What can I do to prevent the challenging behavior? How do I respond when challenging What new skills can I teach? behavior occurs? What materials or resources do I need to implement the plan? 4 ChallengingBehavior.org | National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations Positive Solutions for Families: Family Routine Guide Getting Dressed or Undressed Your child does not want to stop the “activity” that they are doing to get dressed or undressed. Prevent the Behavior ► Help them understand you know how they feel – Validate your child’s feelings and then point out what fun thing is coming up after getting dressed or undressed. For example: “I know you are disappointed to end your game, but once you are dressed, we will be able to read books.” ► Give clear expectations – First plan what the expectations are for getting dressed. Does your child need assistance? Is your child capable for taking off or putting on some articles of clothing? Do you have a realistic time on how long this will take? Then use some prevention strategies such as: • Signal your child ahead of time – Use a “warning” to let your child know that it will soon be time to “stop” and to get dressed or undressed. Depending on your child’s ability, you can use a timer or a verbal signal by saying “in five more minutes” or showing them a picture cue and then coming back to let your child know when it’s “one more minute”. • Reduce distractions – This might involve turning off the television or shutting the door while the child is getting dressed. • Use a “first-then” statement (e.g., “First get dressed, then play.”) to help your child clearly understand expectations and help your child through the routines. • Refer to a visual schedule (e.g., the sequence of getting undressed or dressed). • Use a book! Find a children’s book on this topic or make your own using photos. Read the book with your child and refer to the language or picture cues in the story that show the steps for getting dressed or undressed. • Encourage success – Praise your child and let them know that stopping is difficult, and you will make sure that the activity can be done at a later time or day (follow through on your promise). Respond Teach New Skills ► Repeat the instruction as a statement not a question. For example: “It is ► Teach your child how to follow time to get dressed.” your warning. ► Point to a visual cue to remind the child that it is time to get dressed. ► Teach your child how to follow first- ► Set a timer or point to a clock and say, “All done ___. Now we need to get then statement: first get dressed or dressed or undressed to (next activity).” undressed, then (fun activity). ► Use a countdown “I am going to count to 1 and then all done: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ► Teach your child when they can have all done.” the “favorite activity” again. ► Follow through by helping your child get dressed or undressed. Use a calm ► Teach the routine of getting dressed. voice and calm physical prompting when helping them. Just be matter of ► Reinforcing the appropriate behavior: fact and say, “I will help you do it.” • First time asked ► Validate feelings and say, “I know it’s hard to stop ___; you can do ___ • Completing all or some of again later. First get dressed or undressed, then (fun activity).” Feelings that the skills on their own. may be validated are disappointed, frustrated, sad, angry, anxious or others. ► Praise any and all small attempts to stop activity and get dressed. National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations | ChallengingBehavior.org 5 Positive Solutions for Families: Family Routine Guide Your child’s refusal to participate in the routine becomes a game to get you to chase them or get your attention. Prevent the Behavior ► Signal your child ahead of time – Use a “warning” to let your child know that it will soon be time to “stop” and to get dressed or undressed. Depending on your child’s ability you can use a timer or a verbal signal by saying, “in five more minutes” and then go back to let your child know when it’s “one more minute”. ► Make getting dressed or undressed the fun activity – Say “pee yew” as each piece of clothing is removed and then try to make a “basket” by throwing the garment into the hamper. Another way to make the activity fun is to sing a song about getting dressed and incorporate silly dancing or play a song and ask your child to see if they can finish before the song ends. ► Use first-then statement – Tell your child “first get dressed and then you can ___.” Follow dressing or undressing with a fun activity your child can do with you (e.g., play chase, tickle, or ball with me).